The alleged killer was in custody, his horrific rampage against them apparently over, but San Diego’s homeless residents did not relax as they bedded down for another night on the streets.

A mortal peril neutralised? Great. They were relieved. But other potential threats – the guy with the crowbar, the guy with the razor blade, the guy who screamed and ranted – remained.

So they kept one eye open on Thursday night, as they do every night.

“We live out here. We’re scared shitless. What else are we going to say?” said Rayonna, 39, a self-described “street mother”, as shadows stretched across her corner of Union Street. “There’s a constant threat. Random acts of violence. All of a sudden a person, your neighbour, can flip. It’s the drugs. It’s just insane.”

Padgett, who faces charges of murder and attempted murder, reportedly was a transient himself and had been convicted of setting fire to a friend in Chula Vista in 2010.

“At this time, we have probable cause to arrest Mr Padgett for these heinous crimes,” homicide division captain David Nisleit told a news conference. “This arrest comes with our main priority of helping the public.”

This week’s brutal assaults – which involved burning, bludgeoning, stabbing – shocked San Diego and prompted concern for the estimated 5,000 people without shelter in the county.

News of the alleged perpetrator’s capture eased but did not erase the anxiety of those who performed their nightly ritual of spreading tarpaulin and blankets on the pavement.

“If you’re living on the street there’s an inherent risk. It comes with the territory,” said Jon, 44, who like other interviewees declined to give a surname. “We’re all sitting ducks. Anything can happen at anytime.” One recent morning, he said, someone hurled at a flower pot at him while he slept.

Rory Carroll (@rorycarroll72)

San Diego homeless say still on edge despite arrest because attacks a fact of life. Jon: 'We're all sitting ducks.' pic.twitter.com/10utihW91d

His friend Cory, 42, nodded. “This [anxiety] is every night. It’s a risk every night for us.” He blamed the early release of violent offenders from jail plus drugs like methamphetamine. “It’s unbelievable the trivial things that set people off.”

Last month an assailant, believed to be unconnected to Padgett, bludgeoned half a dozen homeless people in a single night, including a friend of Cory’s nicknamed Babyface. “I scrubbed the blood off the pavement with a toothbrush,” said Cory.

Downtown street dwellers said random aggression, ranging from verbal to viciously physical, made life a daily lottery.

A 2014 study by the National Coalition on the Homeless suggested California was especially dangerous for the homeless, accounting for 19.5% of US attacks from 1999 to 2013, and an “astonishing” 30% of attacks in 2013. The only other state that came close was Florida.

Michael McConnell, a San Diego-based advocate, said the state’s warm climate meant a relatively high proportion of homeless people lived outdoors, rather than in shelters, leaving them especially vulnerable. “Here there are so many people literally on the streets. That probably has something to do with it.”

Rayonna, who has been homeless for six years, welcomed news of Padgett’s arrest but worried about the man, or men, who bludgeoned people last month with a heavy object, possibly a crowbar. “What about those who are still running around hurting us?”

Last week, she said, a man without provocation tried to kick her chihuahua french bulldog mix, Chance, in the face. “I stopped him so then he tried to come at me.” Three friends intervened and stopped the assailant, said Rayonna. “He’s just mad at everything.” She blamed meth, but confessed she too took drugs and “had moments”.

Rayonna cited another man who used a razor blade to slice open sleeping bags to rob and intimidate victims, plus mentally disturbed people such as “Crazy Lisa”, a woman who veered from religious diatribes to prolonged silences which discomfited those around her. “I’m going to curse, I’m sorry, but it’s a hard fucking life out here.”

David, 43, who slept two blocks away, said this week’s attacks had prompted sympathy from passers-by, some murmuring “be safe”. He appreciated the concern. “But it’s unfortunate that something like this has to happen for people to pay attention.”

Even without a murderer on the loose it was near impossible to sleep well on the streets because of the need for vigilance, he said. “Ever wonder why we sleep in libraries and on benches during the day? We’re half-awake the whole night.”